I think there comes a time in any blogger's boyfriend's life where he is invited along for a taste of the blogger lifestyle only to be met by the dreaded words, "but you have to be on my blog". There's a small price to pay for the freebies, guys. That was the case for my beau, Simon, when I coaxed him in to joining me in front of the camera in return for a new jacket. He did an amazing job on the shoot though, right?

I guess this means that I have to get clued up on all the menswear retailers now; admittedly I had never heard of Jacamo before, although their stores and their TV advert seem to be popping up everywhere now. I have been informed that they were once a brand targeting larger men, however stocking from chest sizes S to 5XL on the website (Simon is sporting a size M) they now cater for men of all builds, and stocking a wide range of well-known brands including Adidas, French Connection and Timberland, there is sure to be something to suit everyone.

As for my own ensemble, yes I saw the opportunity to be all matchy-matchy and ran with it (solely for blog purposes, I promise). And yes, that's a skeletal Bambi wearing a flower crown printed on my t-shirt. Army of No Country are an independent brand that I recently discovered and fell in love with their quirky designs that give a edgy nod to some of my favourite Disney characters; I still have my eye on the Mickey Mouse and The Little Mermaid prints!

I was recently invited to stay a night at Ox Pasture Hall Hotel* in Scarborough and although it is a rather hefty journey away from where I live in the Northwest, the endless amount of blogger reviews I had read and the opportunity to venture out of my incredibly unexciting hometown for a couple of days became too much of a temptation to resist, and so I grabbed my boyfriend (it didn't take much convincing really), booked our train tickets and soon we were on our way to the Northeast coast.

After a two hour and forty-five minute train journey we fell in to a taxi for a short, fifteen minute drive to the hotel, where the scenery seemed to transition from urban to calmingly rural rather quickly and seamlessly. Set in seventeen acres of countryside in the North York Moors National Park, it's needless to say that Ox Pasture Hall has found itself in a serene location, perfect for a relaxing weekend away and boasting beautiful backdrops for wedding photos or nature lovers. If you're looking for a place to stay during a business trip, however, I would steer clear- internet and mobile reception were hard to come by!

Upon arrival we were welcomed at the front desk by friendly staff, who offered us a pot of tea before showing us to our abode for the evening- one of their simple-but-tastefully decorated luxury suites which had a lounge area complete with a television, hospitality tray and a CD player (you might want to provide your own music unless you're particularly fond of Jackson 5's I'll Be There), a bedroom with a king size bed and hairdryer, and the pièce de résistance- the marbled bathroom- screaming luxury with its rainfall shower, waterfall taps and his-and-hers sinks. We didn't have much time to settle down and take advantage of the waffle robes that were hanging in the wardrobe right away though, as we were booked in for the hotel's signature afternoon tea (£15pp) soon after we arrived, so we dumped our bags and took a short stroll back through the courtyard and in to the lounge area, where we were able to sink in to the leather sofas, take in the relaxed atmosphere and thaw our fingers next to the burning log fire. Ox Pasture Hall doesn't have the hustle and bustle of the more populated inner city hotels and we were pretty much by ourselves for the duration of our stay, except for when a couple of dogs wandered over to say hello- did I mention that this is a pet-friendly hotel?

We were greeted in the lounge by a coffee table already laid out with teacups, napkins and cutlery, and we didn't have long to wait until a cake stand full of afternoon tea classics was brought out to us. The cream cheese & cucumber, beef and tuna finger sandwiches, warm scones and sweet treats including chocolate & praline cake, lemon cheesecake and profiteroles (extra points for those) went down a treat after our long train journey and we managed to wash the whole lot down with a couple of cups of tea. Satisfied and carrying afternoon tea food babies, we headed back to our suite to do a whole lot of relaxing before our meal that evening- Oh, but that's a whole nother blog post- watch this space!

Have you ever stayed at Ox Pasture Hall Hotel?

Frances x

*DISCLOSURE: I was kindly invited to stay at Ox Pasture Hall free of charge in return for a honest review. All opinions started are 100% honest and my own.

Working in a restaurant, neatly manicured and polished nails are a luxury that I don't get to enjoy very often, so during my month off in January, I decided it was time to treat my phalanges to a little TLC. I was invited along to Poize Salon, a fairly new hair and beauty salon on Liverpool's West Derby Road, a short taxi journey away from city centre.

Decorated with a black and hot pink colour scheme and plenty of baroque print, faux fur and sparkly ornaments, Poize Salon would give any scouse bird's parlour a run for it's money. In for a full pampering experience, customers are relieved of their coats and bags and offered a beverage upon arrival, and whilst I was feeling particularly sensible this day and settled for an Americano, you can also opt for a cheeky glass of wine.

Steph looked after me and my nails for the duration of my appointment at Poize, and although she complimented me on my natural nails and advised me against cutting them down and covering them up with acrylics, she was more than happy to oblige. Steph is a super talented nail technician, and although I was rather taken by some of the designs on display plus the candy-themed talons she was modelling on her own fingers, I decided to go for a classic, natural-looking tip with a rhinestone accent nail*. The whole process took around an hour-and-a-half, with Steph chatting away to me throughout, except for a ten-minute period of silence when all her concentration was placed in to making sure the acrylic was painted perfectly on to my nails.

Poize Salon don't only offer a range of manicures including acrylics and gels, you can visit them for haircuts and beauty makeovers as well as spray tans and waxing. They also host pamper parties for all ages if you fancy treating yourself and a few friends. Although their website is currently under construction, you can find more information on their Facebook page or follow them on Twitter.

What do you think of the new Poize salon?

Frances x

*DISCLOSURE: Poize kindly invited me to enjoy a treatment at their salon free of charge. All opinions are 100% honest and my own.

For a while now, Vegas has easily been in the top ten list of places in the world that I would like to visit. However, being a graduate, my post-uni budget has prevented me from ticking America's city of sin off my bucket list, so when Thomas Cook Airlines popped an invitation in to my inbox, inviting me for a taste of Vegas right outside my doorstep, I couldn't pass up the opportunity.

So last Wednesday, I donned my glad rags and headed down to Manchester's swanky Milton Club, where I was instantly welcomed in to diva territory by Britney Spears herself (okay, maybe it was an incredibly uncanny look-a-like) with a Viva Las Vegas cocktail, and ushered over to the make-up artist station to receive my own celebrity makeover.

Looking more the part with an ombre lip and an added touch of sparkle to my regular winged liner, I was let loose with my blogging loves, Katie (The Quick Red Fox), Lola and Fikki (Pastime Bliss), to grab another vegas-themed cocktail, get papped, and of course, try our luck over at the roulette table. Thankfully we were provided with fake diva dollars to gamble with, as my confidence was high (I blame the cocktails) but my winning streak was short-lived.

Now, there was a reason for bringing all this glitz and glamour to Manchester (although true divas never need a reason to get glammed up). Thomas Cook Airlines have recently introduced flights to Las Vegas from Manchester Airport (as well as Glasgow and Belfast), and costing from £549 for a return journey (or as little as £247.99 for a one way ticket if you fancy staying a while), they are some of the cheapest around. And if that wasn't enough to get you booking your next holiday, Thomas Cook have clued me up with some of their A-list recommendations and hotspots to visit in the city. If you're looking to run in to a famous face or five, Las Vegas is home to a number of celebrities including Nicholas Cage and Celine Dion, and if they don't reside there then you can pretty much guarantee that Vegas is where they go to party, with Kim Kardashian, Leonardo DiCaprio and John Legend being regular visitors at the 1 OAK nightclub in the Mirage, and the likes of Prince Harry, David Guetta, George Clooney and Lady Gaga spotted hanging out at Vegas' luxury resort, Encore.

However, with stardom-status comes stardom-price tags, so with those pennies you saved booking cheap flights with Thomas Cook Airlines, perhaps you would fancy a trip to Sweet Surrender, the Palazzo's candy and cupcake shop, where you can purchase a $750 cupcake complete with a sparkly gold leaf. Or maybe you would like to head down to The Palms Hotel to try the most expensive burger in Vegas, costing $6,000? No? Don't worry- there are plenty of more affordable places to grab a bite to eat between all the dancing, shopping and gambling.

If you'd like more tips on how to embrace Las Vegas like a true celebrity, you can read more of Thomas Cook's guide to traveling a top diva here.

Or, if you don't need any more convincing, you can go ahead and book your trip here.

When I opted for a pair of ripped jeans from New Look's vast range of denim for their style challenge, I didn't quite take in to consideration how difficult it would be to style outfits for three different occasions with gaping holes in my knees. However, it isn't impossible. Here is my second ensemble in my three-part mini-series (you can see the first one here), and whilst it's still a pretty casual look, I think it's less "girl at the rock show" and more "date night with friends".

Now that the jeans are covered, can I just avert your attention down to the weapons on my feet for a second- At a steal of £15 in the H&M sale, they are not only my sale purchase of the year, but they are also the new stars of my rather ridiculous shoe collection.

So we're already in to the latter third of January and I am already doing a fantastic job of not sticking to my New Years resolution. In my defense, it is only a lack of photographer that has been stopping me from getting content live over the last couple of weeks, but then again this could have been avoided with better organization. Anyway, my best friend happened to purchase a beautiful, brand new DSLR camera last week, and I jumped at the opportunity to be his guinea pig ;)

I told you I was becoming more of a jeans person this year! New Look contacted me last week challenging me to choose a key piece from their range of denim and style it in three different ways, so expect a mini series from me over the few days. Despite my many attempts to tear myself up a pair of distressed jeans back in my wannabe-rockstar days, I have never actually owned a wearable pair, so I decided to channel my teenage self and opt for this pre-destroyed pair of black skinnies.

Styling them up in a casual way is pretty straight-forward, I went for a relaxed vibe with a thin jumper, my trusty converse, a beanie and my oversized Wrangler jacket in this tame attempt at double denim. The real challenge lies in my next outfit post; putting together a smart ensemble!